Chapter 256

Chapter 256: Chapter 256

Some time later, Mike opened his eyes.

He climbed to his feet, calmly brushed the snow off his backside, and looked around as though nothing particularly unusual had happened.

Articuno stared at him.

’...?’

The Legendary Pokémon seemed genuinely puzzled.

’Why does this human look so accustomed to being poisoned?’

Mike, meanwhile, didn’t appear interested in explaining.

He was still a little unsteady on his feet, but that didn’t stop him from making his way toward the Bergmite.

Once he reached them, he crouched down.

Then he looked at the little Pokémon with an unusually serious expression.

"Tell me something..."

The Bergmite stared back at him.

Mike leaned forward slightly.

"Do you want... POWER?"

The Bergmite: "???"

"Bergmite?"

They exchanged confused looks.

What was this human talking about now?

Mike, however, was perfectly serious.

He’d been wondering why none of the Bergmite living here had evolved.

Perhaps it was because the Abomasnow had protected them for so long that they’d never faced enough danger to require evolution.

Or perhaps there was some other reason.

Whatever the explanation, it didn’t change what Mike wanted to accomplish.

He pointed toward the enormous fossil embedded in the mountain.

"See that Pokémon over there? That’s what you could look like after evolving!"

The Bergmite followed his gesture.

Mike continued enthusiastically.

"Pokémon like that can smash rocks apart with ease, carve paths straight through mountains, and send enemies flying with their enormous bodies!"

He paused for emphasis.

"Even Mamoswine!"

’MAMOSWINE?!’

The Bergmite collectively froze.

The image of those enormous, fur-covered Pokémon immediately appeared in their minds.

To the little Bergmite, Mamoswine were practically towering monsters.

A single careless step from one of those giants could crush them flat.

And Mike was saying they could become strong enough to fight something like that?

"Bergmite..."

[We... We really could?]

"Of course!"

Mike nodded confidently.

"Although, right now, we don’t actually know how to help you evolve into that particular form."

He glanced toward the fossil.

"It’s possible that you might evolve into a different form instead."

After all, modern Avalugg and Hisuian Avalugg weren’t identical.

There was still a great deal of research to be done before he could determine whether the Bergmite living here retained the ability to evolve into their ancient regional form.

"But if you’re willing to cooperate with us, there’s a chance we can figure it out!"

Mike smiled encouragingly.

"And if you become stronger, then maybe one day, when the Abomasnow are in danger, you’ll be able to protect THEM!"

The Bergmite fell silent.

They slowly turned toward the Abomasnow standing nearby.

For as long as they could remember, the enormous Pokémon had always protected them.

Whenever something dangerous approached their territory, the Abomasnow were the ones who stepped forward.

The Bergmite had always been the ones who needed protecting.

But...

’Could we really become strong enough to protect them too?’

That possibility was something they’d never seriously considered before.

Mike could see that his words had caught their interest.

He smiled.

"So? Want to give it a try?"

"Berg..."

The Bergmite still looked a little hesitant.

Mike quickly added, "Don’t worry! It won’t be dangerous. You might have to work pretty hard, though, and the training could get tiring."

Then he casually mentioned one more thing.

"Oh, and while we’re doing the research, we’ll make you all kinds of delicious food!"

He smiled warmly.

"Food you’ve never even tasted before!"

The Bergmite: "!!!"

Before they could respond, one of the Jynx nearby suddenly spoke up.

"Jynx!"

[Delicious! IT’S REALLY delicious!]

Apparently, remembering the food Mike had prepared yesterday had been enough to make her mouth water.

A little drool appeared at the corner of her lips.

The Bergmite looked at one another.

Then they immediately began bouncing excitedly.

"BERGMITE!"

[WE WANT TO GET STRONGER! AND IT’S DEFINITELY NOT BECAUSE OF THE FOOD!]

Mike stared at them.

Then he slowly turned toward Gengar.

Gengar looked back.

For a moment, neither said anything.

But the amusement in their eyes was unmistakable.

Mike’s expression practically said, ’They’re just as greedy as you.’

Gengar’s expression answered, ’There you go tricking kids again!’

Mike suppressed his laughter and returned his attention to the Bergmite.

"Great! Then here’s what we’ll do."

He gestured toward the area around them.

"Some people may come here soon to help you train. They’ll teach you different moves and help you become stronger. Is that okay?"

The Bergmite eagerly nodded.

Or rather, they bounced their entire bodies up and down.

After all, when your entire body was basically one enormous head, nodding wasn’t quite as straightforward as it was for other Pokémon.

Mike couldn’t help smiling at the sight.

With their cooperation secured, he stood up and turned toward Articuno.

"Sorry to trouble you, Articuno, but there may be some humans coming into your territory over the next little while. They’ll be helping with the research."

Articuno looked at him thoughtfully.

"Articuno."

[Messenger of Ho-Oh... Do you truly have a way to restore these Pokémon to their former appearance?]

Mike blinked.

"Wait, you know about the Pokémon that lived during the Hisuian era?"

Articuno didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, the Legendary Pokémon raised its head proudly.

The three dark-blue, diamond-shaped feathers forming its crest gleamed beautifully beneath the sunlight.

Mike couldn’t help admiring the sight.

’Man, Articuno is gorgeous.’

Then another thought occurred to him.

’Seriously, how come some versions of the Legendary birds look so elegant, while others are basically oversized chickens that run around on the ground?’

He was, of course, thinking about their Galarian counterparts.

"ARTICUNO!"

Articuno’s clear cry echoed through the mountains.

[I am the ruler of ice and snow! I have dwelled among these mountains for countless years. Long ago, many of my own kind competed for dominion over this land, but in the end, I was the one who remained victorious!]

Its voice carried proudly across the snowfield.

Mike looked at the majestic bird.

’There it goes again.’

He was beginning to understand Articuno’s personality.

This Legendary Pokémon was absolutely a tsundere!

Still, its story was rather interesting.

Apparently, this particular Articuno had been living on Mount Coronet since the Hisuian era.

And if what it said was true, it had fought off other Articuno and claimed the region as its own territory.

’Well, that DOES sound pretty impressive.’

Although...

Mike couldn’t help remembering something else.

’It got controlled by a machine, and then Cynthia’s Garchomp managed to injure it.’

’Garchomp, of all Pokémon! That’s a Dragon- and Ground-type! Ice should be four times effective against it!’

’Maybe this Articuno isn’t quite as powerful as it makes itself sound...’

Naturally, Mike kept those thoughts to himself.

Instead, he nodded with an expression that could only be described as thoroughly unconvincing.

"Yes, yes. You’re amazing. The strongest Articuno in the world! Very impressive!"

"ARTICUNO!"

Articuno immediately bristled.

[Human, how dare you! Even if you are Ho-Oh’s messenger, you cannot simply—]

"Oh, by the way," Mike interrupted casually, "Cynthia might be among the people coming here. You know, the one with Garchomp."

Articuno stopped.

"..."

For a moment, the Legendary Pokémon said nothing.

Then its expression changed.

"Articuno."

[Since this is a request from the esteemed messenger of Ho-Oh, I naturally have no objections.]

Mike stared at it.

’Wow.’

’That was FAST!’

One moment, Articuno had been calling him human and preparing to lecture him.

The next, he’d become the esteemed messenger of Ho-Oh, and suddenly everything was perfectly acceptable.

’This Articuno is hilarious!’

The more time Mike spent around Legendary Pokémon, the more he realized that they weren’t necessarily so different from ordinary Pokémon.

They might possess extraordinary power and command immense respect, but they still had their own personalities, preferences, and insecurities.

And sometimes...

They could be ridiculously adorable.

Mike looked at Articuno with an amused smile.

"Hey, tell you what. Once I’m strong enough, if I ever meet those other two, how about I teach them a lesson for you?"

Articuno froze.

Its crimson eyes settled on him.

For several seconds, it remained silent, apparently trying to decide whether Mike was serious.

Finally, it spoke.

"Articuno."

[Human messenger, do you understand what you are saying? Those two are Legendary bird Pokémon, just as I am. We all serve the great master who dwells within the sea. And yet you dare suggest that you would punish them?]

Mike immediately realized he’d overstepped.

"Ah, sorry! That was rather presumptuous of—"

"Articuno."

[Make sure you hit them HARD.]

"..."

Mike stared at the Legendary Pokémon.

Articuno stared back, looking completely serious.

For once, Mike genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

He’d been expecting a lecture about respecting Legendary Pokémon.

Instead, Articuno had apparently decided that beating up its fellow Legendary birds was a wonderful idea.

After a long moment, Mike shook his head.

"...All right. I’ll keep that in mind."

With that matter settled and all the Pokémon having agreed to cooperate, Mike finally turned his attention toward contacting the researchers.

He found a nearby rock and sat down.

Then he immediately stood up again.

"..."

The rock was freezing.

Snivy, who’d already seen this exact problem happen before, quietly retrieved a blanket and spread it across the stone.

Only then did Mike sit down again.

"Thanks, Snivy!"

He took out the Rotom Phone and opened the research group chat Professor Rowan had created.

After thinking about how best to explain his discovery, he typed a message.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Everyone, I think I’m going to need your help again.]

Almost immediately, a reply appeared.

[Professor Oak: ???]

[Professor Oak: You’ve got another idea already?!]

Mike blinked at the speed of the response.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Professor Oak, that was fast! Were you already looking at your phone?]

[Professor Oak: Haha! I’m getting old, you know. Tracey and the others are handling most of the work at the lab these days, so I get to lie around and play with my phone.]

Mike read the message.

For some reason, the image of a young man with neatly parted hair immediately appeared in his mind.

’Tracey, huh...?’

Before he could think about it any further, Professor Oak sent another message.

[Professor Oak: Anyway, tell us! Which Pokémon are we looking at this time?]

Mike selected one of the photographs he’d just taken and uploaded it to the group.

It was a clear image of the ancient Hisuian Avalugg fossil embedded in the mountain.

Professor Oak immediately opened the picture.

A moment later, Professor Rowan responded.

[Professor Rowan: Is that... a Hisuian Avalugg?!]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: That’s right! I happened to discover it deep inside Mount Coronet.]

[Professor Rowan: If I remember correctly, your previous research report stated that Avalugg could only evolve into its Hisuian form in the Hisui region, correct?]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Yes, that’s right. However, based on what I’ve observed, I don’t think this Avalugg lived as far back as the Hisuian era. The fossil appears to be considerably more recent.]

Mike glanced toward the ancient remains before continuing to type.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: That means there’s a possibility this Pokémon actually evolved into Hisuian Avalugg AFTER the Hisuian era had already ended, during what we now consider the Sinnoh era.]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: I also discovered several Bergmite living nearby. More importantly, there’s a particular area of their habitat where the magnetic field behaves strangely.]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: I think it might be worth investigating whether this unusual magnetic field can help Bergmite evolve into Hisuian Avalugg again!]

Professor Oak read the messages carefully.

It didn’t take long for him to respond.

[Professor Oak: If that’s the case, then I think it’s absolutely worth trying!]

[Professor Oak: Research is all about exploring possibilities. As long as there’s a reasonable chance of success, we should investigate it. Even failed experiments are an important part of scientific progress!]

[Professor Rowan: I agree. No objections from me.]

A moment later, another familiar name appeared in the conversation.

[Professor Kukui: NANIII?! We’re researching another Hisuian Pokémon already?!]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Professor Kukui, are you available over the next few days?]

[Professor Kukui: Absolutely! I’ll be there tomorrow!]

Mike smiled.

He’d expected Kukui to be interested, but the man’s enthusiasm still managed to impress him.

Then Lucian joined the conversation.

[IDontWantOvertime: Great! Another excuse to skip work!]

{Message deleted.}

Mike stared at the screen.

Then he grinned.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Don’t bother deleting it, Lucian. I already saw it.]

[Professor Oak: HAHAHA! I saw it too!]

[Professor Elm: Ahem.]

[Professor Kukui: Hahaha! Elite Four Lucian never changes!]

A moment later, Cynthia entered the conversation.

[ReallyWantIceCream: Remember to arrange for someone to cover your duties before you leave, @IDontWantOvertime.]

[IDontWantOvertime: Understood.]

Mike could practically imagine Lucian’s expression as he typed that reply.

The poor man had probably already started planning his escape from the office the moment another research expedition was mentioned.

Unfortunately, Cynthia clearly had no intention of letting him disappear without making proper arrangements.

Lucian quickly changed the subject.

[IDontWantOvertime: If I remember correctly, Hisuian Avalugg is an Ice- and Rock-type Pokémon, right?]

[IDontWantOvertime: Does that mean we’ll need specialists in both types this time? Should we ask Gym Leader Roark to handle the Rock-type side again?]

Mike considered the question.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Hmm... I don’t think we’ll need Roark this time.]

[IDontWantOvertime: Why not?]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Because Hisuian Avalugg’s signature move, Mountain Gale, is an Ice-type move.]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: So this time, I think we should bring in an Ice-type specialist to work alongside Professor Kukui.]

Professor Rowan immediately understood where Mike was going with this.

[Professor Rowan: I see... Are you suggesting that we follow a similar approach to the Wyrdeer research?]

[Professor Rowan: First teach the Bergmite the relevant signature move, then attempt to evolve them within the area affected by the unusual magnetic field?]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: That’s the idea for now!]

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Of course, we’ll need to discuss the details properly once everyone’s here. There are still a lot of things we don’t know about the magnetic field or how it might influence evolution.]

[Professor Rowan: Understood. I’ll leave immediately.]

Mike blinked.

Professor Rowan was already preparing to travel?

He glanced at the snowy mountains surrounding him and quickly typed another message.

[GengarStoleMyDrumstick: Professor, it’s really cold this deep inside Mount Coronet. Are you sure you should—]

[Professor Rowan: Don’t worry about me. Back when Samuel and I were working to improve the Pokédex, there was hardly a place we didn’t visit!]

[Professor Oak: Hahaha! That’s certainly true!]

[Professor Oak: Come to think of it, I really do miss those days sometimes.]

Mike smiled as he read their conversation.

He could practically imagine the two elderly professors reminiscing about their younger years, traveling through dangerous environments and researching Pokémon together.

And apparently, neither of them had lost much of that enthusiasm.

Before Mike could reply, Cynthia sent another message.

[ReallyWantIceCream: Speaking of Ice-type specialists... do you have anyone in mind?]